Fashion can't exist on its own. Fashion isn't a single subject, but a combination of almost every subject. Take maths for example - involved in the creation of every piece of clothing on the planet. And then there's english - relied on for the marketing and communication of fashion. Geography too - heavily linked to the distribution methods and consumption patterns within fashion. There are more obvious examples, namely art, textiles, economics and business, but these subjects carry no more importance than the likes of maths and geography in regards to the fashion industry. Every subject plays an integral part to how the industry is run, and without their contribution to fashion, it simply wouldn't function as all the varying aspects work together to create what we know to be fashion.
Politics and fashion arguably have a less obvious link in comparison to the examples mentioned above, but when they do collide the force of fashion is evident, as demonstrated in the case of fashion designer Katharine Hamnett, who still to this day combines these two fields to project powerful messages across the world.
Undoubtably, her most famous example of this aligns with the most iconic moment in her career and involves former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and a T-shirt that reads '58% Don't Want Pershing'. It all started in 1983 when the British government decided to install U.S. nuclear warheads on British soil. This was a result of the Cold War where the clash of communist and capitalist ideologies resulted in conflict. As an allied country to the U.S., Britain deployed nuclear weapons on behalf of America.
This was deemed to be a controversial move as it was a decision that neglected the opinions of the electorate so Hamnett, along with many others, rightfully deemed it to be undemocratic. This resulted in Hamnett using her career as a fashion designer, as well as a timely invitation to number 10 Downing Street, to communicate her opinion on the issue. Little did Hamnett know that her brave stunt, where she removed her coat just before greeting Thatcher, would be seen across the world, even before social media was rife, truly demonstrating the potential power of fashion. The T-shirt gave Hamnett power where she otherwise wouldn't have had it - it acted as a political protest which, in this case, was far superior than spoken words.
As previously mentioned, thirty-five years on and Hamnett's work is still in full force with her latest topic of discussion being Brexit where she continues to showcase her left-wing views through slogans such as 'Second Referendum Now'. By combining fashion with politics Hamnett is allowing for important conversations to be had where they may not have regularly taken place. Often times artists and designers have a much greater influence than traditional outlets such as the government and pressure groups because of the way their messages are communicated. Particularly in today's climate it seems that capturing the attention of the majority, particularly in relation to subjects like politics, more specifically Brexit and climate change, is essential in order for change to take place.
The broad spectrum of fashion is fascinating. Fashion doesn't and can't exist without contextual influences and varying subject matter and the complexity of the industry seems to be something that goes amiss in general conversation.
Mais xx
